Security footage appears to show that Alaska man did not raise gun before being killed by police

ANKERAGE, Alaska — Security footage posted online raises questions about Anchorage police’s account of what happened when officers shot and killed a man armed with a long gun earlier this week.

In a statement Monday, Anchorage police said four officers responding to a domestic disturbance began shooting at Kristopher K. Handy outside an apartment complex after he raised a gun at them.

But footage recorded by a neighbor’s security camera early Monday appears to show that 34-year-old Handy did not raise his gun before he was shot. The video appears to show Handy carrying the gun with the barrel pointed down as he walks toward the officers, ignoring their commands to put his hands up. Shots then ring out.

The Anchorage Police Department has not released images from the officers’ body-worn cameras. In a statement on Thursday, police chief Bianca Cross warned against a hasty ruling.

“It’s easy to believe that video tells the whole story, but that assumption is not true,” says Cross. “It is important to remember that video does not capture many details, such as what happened before the video was activated and what happened after the video was activated. ended and what happened out of sight of the camera.”

She added that video “does not capture the human element of those involved, nor their perception, what they see, what they hear and what they know.”

The state Office of Special Prosecutors will determine whether the shooting was justified. The police internal affairs unit will also investigate whether there were any policy violations in the shooting.